With less than two months away from the NYC Mayoral election, things are really heating up. It is a competitive, high-stakes race between two main candidates and some others in the mix. This article will review the candidates in the race and their opinions on key issues such as affordability, housing, and crime. 

Zohran Mamdani 

As the current front-runner of the race, Mamdani has shaken up this election. Mamdani is a New York State Assembly Member and a Democratic Socialist. He beat the odds by winning the New York City democratic primary over the highly favored and former governor, Andrew Cuomo, by 13 points. He is running on a platform of making NYC more affordable, which is a crucial issue for many New Yorkers. He plans to do this by freezing the rent, making fare-free buses, taxing corporations, and creating no-cost childcare. Additionally, Mamdani plans to handle increased crime by creating the Department of Community Safety.  This department would invest in city-wide mental health programs and crisis response, aiming to prevent violence before it happens.

Zohran Mamdani has a pretty big lead over the other candidates, with nearly 22% over Andrew Cuomo, his biggest competitor. His campaign really speaks to younger first-time voters, and according to the Gothamist,“nearly a quarter of early voters had never before voted in a Democratic primary in New York City”.These young voters played a huge role in Mamdani winning the democratic primary and will definitely play a role in who wins the mayoral election. 

Despite receiving endorsements from key democratic leaders like Kathy Hochul, the current New York State governor, Bernie Sanders, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, many of New York’s top democrats have not supported him. Both of New York’s senators and the House Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries, have failed to endorse Mamdani since they don’t want to alienate moderates. Moreover, many have labeled Mamdani as “communist” and “too extreme” based on his socialist policies, anti-business rhetoric, and absolute criticism of Israel. Others have noted his lack of major experience in politics because of Mamdani being only 33 years old and having served as a NY state assembly member.

Andrew Cuomo 

After losing the democratic primary to Mamdani, Former Governor Andrew Cuomo has continued to run in the race as an Independent under a party he created called Fight or Deliver, which plans to appeal to disillusioned democrats, independents, and republicans. Andrew Cuomo is running on improving public safety and affordability. He plans to improve public safety by increasing the size of the NYPD, targeting nuisance crimes such as theft, and enhancing subway safety. His plans to make NYC more affordable include increasing the amount of housing, targeted tax relief, and improving income through job creation. 

Andrew Cuomo also likes to run on his extensive political experience, especially as NY Governor. Cuomo was the governor for a total of 7 years. As the governor, he had the lowest annual unemployment rate of 3.8% in 2019, increased the minimum wage, established paid leave, and legalized same-sex marriage; however, towards the end of his tenure, he had several major scandals, including undercounting COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes and numerous sexual assault allegations.

Even though Cuomo trails behind Mamdani by 22 points according to Nate Cohn, the chief political analyst at The NY Times in New York City, Mayoral Election 2025: Latest Polls, “if Cuomo got a one-on-one race against Mamdani, he might have a real shot at winning, the poll found.”

Curtis Sliwa

Curtis Sliwa is a radio talk show host and the founder of the Guardian Angels, which is a nonprofit organization that combats crime. Known for his signature red beret and at one point owning 17 cats, he is the only Republican running in the race, making Sliwa a wild card in a very democratic state. Sliwa is running on improving safety and quality of life in NYC. He plans to improve the quality of life through affordable housing plans, such as restoring local zoning control and restoring rent-controlled vacant apartments. Some of his public safety plans include ending the cycle of repeat offenders by repealing cashless bail and increasing the size of the NYPD. Additionally, Sliwa is the only candidate running for mayor not pushing for NYC to remain a sanctuary city for immigrants and wants to cooperate with ICE.

Many have called for Curtis Silwa to drop out of the race, including the White House, so Silwa won’t take away votes from Cuomo; however, Silwa maintains that he won’t drop out because he has an obligation not to abandon the republicans of NYC and to be on the ballot.